"The 2019 Malbec Aluvional Gualtallary from the Uco Valley was a third aged in French foudres. This year saw a change of label for this wine, which is purple in the glass. It has a bold nose of country herbs, thyme and bay leaf accompanied by hints of plum, blackberry and violets. The relationship between the texture and structure is interesting because they both appear more prominently than the variety’s other virtues; the result has a somewhat exaggerated effect." -Joaquín Hidalgo
Robert Parker
RP98
"The 2019 Aluvional Gualtallary comes from the section people call Monasterio, although the official division of subzones has not yet been approved. This is always the wildest (Sebastián Zuccardi calls it Wildtallary...), with an explosive nose of wild herbs and flowers, thyme, rockrose and lavender, interwoven with violets and coupled with a laced texture with very fine-grained, chalky tannins, showcasing what the zone can do and why it was made famous. They harvest by soil, because it's not all the same, and they look for mid-palate depth using parts where they have caliche stones but also a little bit of clay, just bellow the hills (los cerros). Their main work here is to avoid exuberance and give it restraint, and it comes through as refined and slender; if you let the grapes ripen too much, you can have heavier aromas reminiscent of black olives, of which there's nothing here. They do a gentler second half of the fermentation, just wetting the cap with buckets (by hand) and avoiding cold fermentations. It seems to work wonders... Simply superb, this is super elegant but in an austere, tight and precise way."
Wine Spectator
WS94
"Slightly angular, but a lovely expression nevertheless, showing dried violet and a hint of eucalyptus up front, with layers of raspberry and olallieberry. Tremendous acidity adds tension and extends the flavors on to the lengthy finish, which features fine tannins, an echo of the core flavors and a hint of hibiscus."
Wine Enthusiast
WE95
"With its bright aromas of red cherries, mulberries and chalk on the nose, this Malbec is no exception. The equally expressive palate delivers red berries and plums blended with a delicious potpourri of dried herbs that leads to a long satisfying finish."
